Conventional techniques for digital television recording which are available today typically enable recording of programs and advertisements or commercials associated with the programs. Conventional techniques, such as techniques using a standard home video cassette recorder (VCR), allow manual manipulation of programs and advertisements or commercials associated with the programs.
Some aspects of technologies that may be useful in understanding the present invention are described in the following patents and patent applications:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,414,773 and 5,715,315 to Handelman which describe a CATV system including a CATV network, a multiplicity of subscriber units, apparatus for transmitting over said CATV network encrypted information individually addressed to a subscriber unit and apparatus associated with each of the multiplicity of subscriber units for decoding the encrypted information addressed thereto;
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/515,118 to Wachtfogel et al and corresponding published PCT Application WO 00/01149 both assigned to NDS Limited which describe a digital television recording method comprising: broadcasting a television program associated with a broadcaster set of parameters enabling access to a first set of predetermined portions of the program; operating an agent for determining whether to record the program and for associating with the program, upon recording of the program, an agent set of parameters enabling access to a second set of predetermined portions of the program; storing the program together with the broadcaster set of parameters and the agent set of parameters to generate an addressable program; retrieving at least a portion of the addressable program; displaying the at least a portion of the addressable program to a user; receiving from the user a user set of parameters enabling access to a third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program; editing the addressable program to include said user set of parameters enabling access to the third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program thereby generating an edited addressable program; and storing the edited addressable program; and
Israel Patent Application 121230, submitted 3 Jul. 1997 and corresponding published PCT Application WO 99/01984 both assigned to NDS Limited which describe one system for using intelligent agents to customize an electronic program guide (EPG) based on user behavior.
U.S. Provisional Patent Applications 60/179,968 and 60/176,215 to Wachtfogel et al, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, describe automated targeting and provisioning of advertisements in an end-user controlled playback environment.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the present specification are hereby incorporated herein by reference.